POL101Y1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Instant-Runoff Voting, Political Freedom, Party System
Elections are the basis of democracy
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Consented to laws when they elected officials
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People are obligated to obey laws that are created
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Elections are a form of voter reaction
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Official cope with situations, people choose continuance
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Institutionalized to prevent arbitrary control
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Must occur at regular intervals under free/fair vote conditions
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Anyone must be able to run, open
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Participation --> no restrictions
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Political freedom --> no censorship, voters must be informed
and able to make decisions
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Four principles
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Mobilization of support for government (obligation) = legitimacy of
educated systems
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Set of rules that deal with how votes will turn into seats, etc. -->
who wins on election night
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One candidate is voted in each constituency (region)
Votes are for individuals not the party, winner gets the
most votes
Votes for unsuccessful parties are 'wasted' - they get
no seat
No new party can break in unless territory based
Deliberately drawing constituencies to favour
one side
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Produces single-party majorities
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Underrepresentation of minorities = gerrymandering
Single-member plurality / 'first past the post'
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Single-member constituencies, but require winner to
have a majority not a plurality
Runoff: wins majority then is voted against each other
Alternative vote: rank candidates in preferential order
Majority systems
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Plurality / majority : governing party holds majority
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Give accurate %
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Minorities are represented
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Vote for party, party wins seats for top 'X' members
Thresholds distort proportionality
List
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Rate candidates by preference
Promotes existence of small parties
Single transferable
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Proportional: % of votes corresponds to % of seats
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One vote for local, one for nation
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Mixed: combination / hybrid of other two
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Electoral Systems
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Electoral reform
Elections and Electoral Systems Chapter 25
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Reading 1.7: Electoral Systems and Representation
December 8, 2016
10:47 PM
READINGS Page 98
Document Summary
People are obligated to obey laws that are created. Must occur at regular intervals under free/fair vote conditions. Political freedom --> no censorship, voters must be informed and able to make decisions. Mobilization of support for government (obligation) = legitimacy of educated systems. Set of rules that deal with how votes will turn into seats, etc. who wins on election night. Plurality / majority : governing party holds majority. One candidate is voted in each constituency (region) Votes are for individuals not the party, winner gets the most votes. Votes for unsuccessful parties are "wasted" - they get no seat. No new party can break in unless territory based. Single-member constituencies, but require winner to have a majority not a plurality. Runoff: wins majority then is voted against each other. Proportional: % of votes corresponds to % of seats. Vote for party, party wins seats for top "x" members.
